Apparatus for cleansing and sterilizing empty cans



- APPLICATION FILED 00124, I9I8.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

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APPLICATION HLED OCT, 24, 1918. 1,411,3 0, Patented Apr. 4, 1922 2 snsnssum 2.

NTR

UNITED STATES JOHN A. ROOF, 0F GAN'ASTOTA, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS ron CLEANSING AND srnnrnrzme EMPTY cans.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Application filed October 24, 1918. Serial No. 259,478.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, J om: A. ROOF, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Canastota, in the county of Madison, in theState of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Cleansing and sterilizing Empty Cans, of which thefollowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus forcleansing and sterilizing empty cans, involving the use of a steamingchamber and a drying chamber through which empty cans are successivelypassed in more or less rapid sequence to effect the.

CD while in transit therethrough.

Themain object is to provide more eflicient and expeditious means forcleansing and drying the cans than has heretofore been available,thereby materially inoreasingthe desired cleansing sterilizin anddrying,

output for a given period of time over the methods now commonlyemployed. 7

Another object is to render the cleaning and drying operationssubstantially automatic, thereby reducing the labor to a minimum.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the apparatus willbe brought out in the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure -lis a top plan partly in section of an apparatus for carryingout the objects stated.

Figure --2- is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of a portion ofthe same ap paratus.

Figures 3 and -l-- are transvm-se, vertical, sectional views takenrespectively in the planes of lines 3-43 and 4&, Figure --2.

As illustrated, this apparatus comprises a steaming chamber -1.- and adrying chamber 2 arranged end to end and mounted upon suitablesupporting legs 3- to form a substantially unitary structure.

A. substantially horizontal can-guide or track -4:- extends through thelongitudinal center of the chamber 1 from end to end and between thelower and upper walls thereof, to enable said cans to be fed by rollingin a direct line through said chamber and to the drying chamber,presently described.

The end of the steaming chamber -1 at which the cans enter, is providedwith an opemng 5 of suflicient size to allow the cans to entertherethrough, the adjacent end of the guide 4.- being inclinedupwardly'at-6 to cause the cans to roll by gravity through the opening 5and upon the horizontal portion of the guide, said inclined portion.being located exterior to the steaming chamber and of any suitablelength to allow the cans to be placed thereon or upon an extensionthereof, either by hand or otherwise.

An endless belt -7- is mounted within the steaming chamber 1- uponsuitable pulleys or sprockets -8 which are journaled in hearings on theend walls of said chamber, so as to support the lower side of the beltin a substantially horizontal posi tion parallel with and directly abovethe bottom of the track -4-, a distance corresponding approximately tothe diameter of the can, whereby the cans which roll by gravity from theinclined portion 6- to the horizontal portion of the track lwill beengaged and fed forwardly with a rolling motion along the track andthrough an outlet 9 in the end of the steaming chamber opposite theinlet 5.

A supporting shaft for one of the sprocket wheels -8-- is provided witha pulley --10- which may be connected by a belt to any available sourceof power not shown for moving the endless belt in the directionindicated by the arrows, Figure 2-.

The empty cans are open at one end and while they may be placed upon theguide to roll along the same with their open ends facing in the samedirection, they may be arranged so that their open ends facepmmiscuously in opposite directions.

In order that they may be thoroughly cleansed and sterilized internallyand externally in one and the same operation by the same agency duringtheir transit through the steaming chamber, I have provided a pair ofsteaming pipes 11-, running parallel with and at opposite sides of thetrack %lin approximately the same hori zoutal plane as the centers ofthe cans while the latter are being rolled along said guide orsubstantially midway between the bottom of the track and lower side ofthe endless belt These pipes extend from end to end of the steamingchamber, the portions ofsaid pipes within the chamber being providedwith perforations 12 in their inner sides facing the ends of the cans sothat when steam is supplied in the pipes, it will be projected directlyagainst the closed ends of the cans or into the open ends thereof.

This steam will also envelop said cans to a greater or less extent toeffect not only a thorough cleansing of the same from foreign matter butalso a sterilizing of the cans internally and externally by reason ofthe high degree of heat of the steam.

The top of the steaming chamber -1-- is preferably open at -l3- and issurrounded by a flue -1lwhich may lead to the exterior oi the buildingin which the apparatus is located to carry oil any excess steam orvapor.

A. portion of this steam, however, will be condensed within the steamingchamber in which case the water of condensation will be precipitatedupon the bottom as of" the chamber and in order that it may beautomatically removed, said bottom is inclined toward the entrance endof the chamber and its lowest point is connected by a branch pipe -l.t3-to a con'unon drainage pipe l7, which in turn may be connected to awaste or soil pipe, not shown, to carry the water away from the machine.

A steam supply pipe --18 may be connected to any available source ofsupply and is provided with a branch -l9- leading to one of the pipes 1lfrom which steam is supplied to the other pipe 1.1 through a branch-20-, the supply of steam to the distributin pipes -11 being controlledby a va ve -i9- in the branch -19--.

In order to further insure a more thoron h cleansing of the peripheriesof the cans, a branch-pipe 2lis connected to the main supply-pipe --1S-to extend transversely of and directly under the inclined portion --6-of the track -41 and is provided with a pair of steam nozzles or jets-22- .i'or projecting steam directly against the eripheries ot the cansas they roll down the inclined portion onto the horizonal portion of thetrack -l, it being understood that the track is composed of parallelangle irons in spaced relation to form supports and guides for the endsof the cans, leaving an intervening opening with which the steam nozzles-22 are registered to allow. the steam to be projected therethroughagainst the peripheries of the cans.

' The dryingchamber -Q is located at the outlet end of the steamingchamber in up roximately the horizontal plane thereof am: in thischamber is located a can-guide or track 23 similar to and formingcontinuation of the track 4.- in the steaming chamber, except that it isinclined clownwardly from the outlet of said steaming chamber to allowthe cans to roll by gravity along the same through the outlet, as -24 inthe opposite end of the drying chamber.

The end of the track 23 which is connected to the track -4 directlyunder the adjacent end of the endless belt 7 is inclined more abruptlythan the remaining portions so as to advance the cans away from the beltwith sufiicient impetus to avoid congestion of the cans which mightotherwise place an excessive load upon the belt.

lVhen the cans are fed along the tracks with their open ends facing inthe same directions, the track -23-, is preferably tilted transverselyin the direction of the open ends of said cans, as shown more clearly inI1igu1'e-3-, to allow any water of condensation which may tend toaccumulate therein or adhere thereto, to drain oil on to the bottom, as-25--, which is also inclined and forms a continuation of the inclinedWall 15. I

lVhile the cans are in transit through the drying chamber -2-, they aresubjected to a current of heated air or equivalent dryin agent and forthis purpose I have provided an elongated heating drum 26-. runningparallel with and at one side of the chambers --1- and 2- and containinga series of steam heated coils or pipes, shown by dotted lines andreceiving steam from the main supply pipe -18-- through a branch pipe-.27- which is connected to one end of said steam coil while theopposite end of the same coil may be connected to the drain pipe .-17 toallow live steam to flow through the coil to highly heat the air passingthrough the drum -20- in transit to the drying chamber 2-.

One end of the drum 26' is connected by a pipe 28 to one side of thedrying chamber -Q- near the center thereof and is provided with athermometer -9.)-- by which temperature of the air entering the. dryingchamber may be determined.

The other end. of the drum i?6- is con nected by a pipe -30- to a pump31- which serves to forcibly drive the air through the drum and into thedrying chamber, thereby effectively drying and further sterilizing thecans in transit through the drying chamber. I

A relatively long bafilealate -3:2-- is secured to the inner face 0 theside wall of the chamber -2, just above the delivery end of the pipe-28-- andextends downwardly and inwardly'across the end of said pipe todeflect the inflowing heated current of air downwardly, causing it toimpinge more directly against the moving cans for the )urpose ofexpediting the drying and sterilizing thereof.

The operation, briefly described, is as fo1- lows:

Assuming that the steam is turned on to the steaming chamber -1, thecans are Ill) to the current of heated air and emerge therefrom in asubstantially dry and sterilized condition, ready for receiving thesubstance to be preserved therein, the water of condensation beingdeposited upon the inclined bottom -l5', of the chamber l-- and thenpassing to the drainage pipe -16, while the lighter steam or vaporescapes through the flue l41.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for cleansing and sterilizing empty cans, thecombination with a steaming chamber and a drying chamber arranged end toend, of a can guide extending lengthwise through the steaming chamber ina substantially horizontal plane, an endless belt extending lengthwiseof and within the steaming chamber from end to end thereof above theguide for engaging the upper sides of the peripheries of the cans androlling them along the guide toward the drying chamber, a downwardlyinclined guide leading from the delivery end of the first named guidethrough the drying chamber to form a continuation thereof and alongwhich the cans are adapted to roll independently of the belt, means forsimultaneously projecting steam against opposite ends of the cans whilein transit through the steaming chamher, and separate means forprojecting heat ed air into the drying chamber while the cans are intransit theretln'ough.

2. In an apparatus for cleansing and sterilizing empty cans, thecombination with a steamlng chamber and a drying chamber arranged end toend, of a can guide extending lengthwise through the steaming chamber ina substantially horizontal plane, an endless belt extending lengthwiseof and within the steaming chamber from end to end thereof above theguide for engaging the upper sides of the peripheries of the cans androlling them along the guide toward the drying chamber, a downwardlyinclined guide leading from the delivery end of the first named guidethrough the drying chamber to form a continuation thereof and alongwhich the cans are adapted to roll independently of the belt, means forsimultaneously projecting steam against opposite ends of the cans whilein transit through the steaming chamber, and separate means forprojecting heated air into the drying chamber while the cans are intransit therethrough, said steaming chamber having a steam exit flueleading from the top thereof directly over the belt and adjacent canguide therein.

3. In an apparatus for cleansing and sterilizing empty cans, thecombination with a steaming chamber and a drying chamber arranged end toend, of a can guide extending lengthwise through the steaming chamber ina substantially horizontal plane, an endless belt extending lengthwiseof and within the steaming chamber from end to endthereof above theguide for engaging the upper sides of the peripheries of the cans androlling them along the guide toward the drying chamber, a downwardlyinclined guide leading from the delivery end of the first named guidethrough the drying chamber to form a continuation thereof and alongwhich the cans are adapted to roll independently of the belt, means forsimultaneously projecting steam against opposite ends of the cans whilein transit through the steaming chamber, and separate means forprojecting heated air into the drying chamber While the cans are intransit therethrough, said steaming chamber having a steam exit flueleading from the top thereof directly over the belt and adjacent canguide therein, the bottom of the steaming chamber being inclineddownwardly toward the can-receiving end and provided with a drainageoutlet at its lowest point for removing water of condensation.

4. In an apparatus for cleansing and sterilizing empty cans, a steamingchamber having a longitudinally inclined bottom provided with a drainageoutlet at its lowest point, a steam exit flue leading from the top ofthe steamin chamber, a can guide extending longituc inally through thesteaming chamber in a horizontal plane some distance below the flue, anendless belt extending through the steaming chamber between the fine andguide for rolling contact withthe upper sides of the peripheries of thecans to roll said cans along the guide, and steam supply pipes extendinglengthwise through

